Back Together
by Wicked-Jedi-Charm
Summary: I Still Love Him continues! Ever wonder what happened to Hydra? One moment they're attacking the base to get Hive back and then poof! Gone! Approximately a year has passed since we last saw our favorite couple leaving that restaurant, and trouble has found them once again. With no where else to turn, the pair find themselves asking an old ally for help...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! We're in Book 2 woo! I just want to say some things here before we get started.**

 **One, I do not own Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.**

 **Two, I apologize if they don't exactly sound like themselves at first. It has been a year since we last saw them, so I assume they've changed at least a little.**

 **Three, my poll is open, so please go vote and decide whether Grant Ward will become an inhuman or not.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

– Goodbye Peaceful Living –

He hadn't expected her to take so well to farming. He certainly hadn't expected her to be out at dawn feeding the birds and collecting the eggs. He'd expected to be doing all of that, while she slept in and fiddled around on her computer.

Yet Daisy had continued to surprise him more and more as the days passed. She quiet enjoyed the slow pace of farm life, something that he had least expected. Then again the last few years had been all action with much time to relax.

Grant stared out the kitchen windows, from where he could just see the brunette inside the barn. She was sitting, if he wasn't mistaken, right by the duck pen. He frowned a little, thinking of the frost he'd seen on the windows that morning, it was still there and hadn't gone away with the sunlight. She shouldn't be sitting on the cold ground, especially in that thin sweater of hers.

With that in mind, the retired agent picked up his own jacket and went to get his wife of nine months. As he'd suspected, she was by the ducks. The basket of eggs she'd gone out to collect sitting abandoned next to her. She even had one of the birds huddled up in the sweater with her.

"Daisy." He scolded her gently, draping his coat around her shoulders. "If you're going to stay out longer, you should put on a thicker jacket."

She gave him her most innocent smile, stroking the poultry's soft feathers. "Jemima was cold, and Beatrix and Rebeccah weren't sitting with her."

He rolled his eyes, kneeling down next to her. "At the moment I'm more worried about you than I am her. She and her friends have a heat lamp to sit under. You do not."

It was her turn to roll her eyes as he took Ms. Puddle Duck from her, she squawked at him a moment, before settling once again. "I am fine. You don't need to worry about me." She crossed her arms over her chest, watching as he put the white pekin back in the pen with her seven other friends.

"It's when you say something like that, that I know I should worry." She let him pull her to her feet, giving him a small kiss in thanks when he picked up her egg basket. "If I didn't know better I'd think you said it just to make sure I worried about you."

"I don't need to say anything for you to do that." She responded with a shrug of her shoulders, taking the basket from him, despite his effort to keep it. "Now come on, I'm starving!"

He watched her make her way to the porch, turning to look back at him when he didn't follow right away. She seemed to have adjusted so well to this kind of life, never bringing up anything to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. He still had nights where he would lie awake, thinking of the days when he had more to worry about than the fence needing repairs, or having to wrestle their dog to take a bath.

He missed dealing with the unknown and random alien junk technology landing in their laps. He missed the thrill. Though that didn't mean he wanted Daisy anywhere near it again. No way.

"Grant?" He shook his head of such thoughts, focusing them back on the inhuman in front of him. "You coming or not?"

He smiled, making his own way to the porch, being sure to brush shoulders with her as they went. They were perfect like this. With no S.H.I.E.L.D., no Hydra, no real dangers he couldn't protect her from out here. He could handle this, even if it was a little boring for him most the time.

"Hey, where's Buddy?" She asked, catching his attention. "I didn't see him come out with you."

That had him arching his eyebrows at her, he'd thought their Labrador would have gone out with her. He never missed a chance to ruffle some feathers, so long as he could help it. "You didn't let him out?"

She shook her head, a small yet slightly worried smile coming to her face. "No, he looked too cute cuddled up on the couch."

Then why hadn't the human seen him when he came down from his shower? The dark colored pup was usually his shadow if he wasn't Daisy's. He felt his body tense as the spy part of him started screaming warning bells, and he couldn't resist the urge to pull his wife behind him. Silently telling her to stay behind him until he discover and eliminate the possible threat.

"Remind me again when you said Lincoln and Caleb were going to be flying in."

Her brow furrowed for a moment as she searched her brain for the information he'd asked. "Not till next Friday, why?"

"The only time Buddy isn't with you or me is when there's a guest." He responded, pulling the side arm and its magazine out of the coat he'd draped over her shoulders.

"I thought you said you weren't going to carry guns around the house anymore." She hissed, annoyance clear in her gaze as she kept her voice low.

"In my defense, this is the jacket I wear to town." He retorted in his own nearly silent whisper. "And if there turns out to be someone here who is not supposed to be, you'll be glad I still do."

She rolled her eyes, but let him take point as he began checking the rooms. It didn't take them long to discover why their dog hadn't come to greet Grant at the stairs. Daisy laughed so hard she almost fell, while the ex-hydra spy was trying to hide his blush from leaving up the gate, that separated the living room and back door from the rest of the house. He must have forgotten to take it down after breakfast.

Buddy was laying down, with his head resting between his front paws, on the other side of the fence, looking like he'd been placed under time-out. The quake inhuman was still laughing when her husband opened to gate and let their chocolate lab have free range of the house again.

"Nice going Super Spy. Getting us all worked up over nothing." She heaved an amused sigh, heading back toward their kitchen. Ready to finally start on their lunch, he assumed.

Grant gave Buddy a guilty look, while rubbing his ears. "I'm sorry boy, I thought I took that down this morning." The beast groaned, leaning into his hands appreciatively, already forgiving him it seemed.

"You did." The new voice had his back tensing. How the hell did they find them..? "I just thought it would be better if he didn't alert you to our presence just yet."

Grant reached for his gun, only to discover Daisy had taken it to the kitchen with her, after he'd placed it on the hall table. Damn, he should have tucked it into his belt. He stepped out into the living room, hating himself for not putting in the new upgrades for the security system.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Sure enough the, supposedly, last head of Hydra was lounging on his sectional. Where he had gotten the glass of scotch, Grant wasn't quite sure, he had a lock on his liquor cabinet so it couldn't be his. The man didn't seriously carry a bottle and glass around with him, did he?

Pushing that thought aside, he turned to get to his wife before the man could think of doing anything. Ignoring Buddy's barks for attention. To his disgust Malick had already thought of that. Grant froze in his steps.

"I wouldn't be too hasty." His voice called from behind him. Not that the man paid him any mind, how could he when his reason for living was looking at him like that. Daisy was sitting at the bar in their kitchen, nibbling on her lower lip as she stared up at him. Giyera was standing behind her, with the human male's gun floating by her head.

Ward turned, settling his glare on the bastard smirking at him. "Now that I have your attention. Why don't you explain to me how you're still alive and what happened to Hive?" Malick took a drink of his scotch, looking at him expectantly.

The former Hydra man wanted to snap his neck more than anything in the world. "If you want to know anything, you better let my wife go."

"Gran-"

"I can't do that. You know how this works Ward. You're both coming with us." The Hydra head didn't seem surprised by his use of the term "wife," if anything it seemed to please him more. "I know how much a man will give up to protect the woman he loves."

He was sure his eyes widened with dread, recalling a memory from just before they went to Maveth. He'd tortured Simmons to get to Fitz, now Malick was planning to do the same thing to them. Without even realizing it, he moved to attack the man, but someone else had decided they were done playing the bargaining chip.

He didn't know how far her shock wave reached, he only knew it was a miracle their house was still standing. Grant lifted himself off the ground, after being tossed back by her force. "Daisy!" He lifted Buddy in one arm, relieved when he saw his wife moving toward him, her powers still shaking the place.

He couldn't blame her for struggling to keep the quakes in check, it had been some time since she'd used them. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a kiss, conveying how he was feeling in that moment.

She smiled, taking hold of his hand as they ran into the hall. Now that the ringing in his ears had stopped, he could hear the gunfire, and spot bullet holes being formed. "Basement?" She just nodded in response to his question.

He passed her the dog, making her go first down the staircase as he blocked the door behind them. That could hold them off for a few moments, and they would probably look for Malick and Giyera first before searching for them.

"It's really too bad." He looked at where Daisy was checking their emergency duffel, and adding what she thought they may need. Buddy whining under the table next to her. "I really liked the life we made here."

He shrugged his shoulders, gathering his weapons off their stands and strapping them onto his person. "If we're speaking honestly, it was a little boring for my taste."

She gave him a meaningful look, accepting the small side-arm he placed in her hand. "How about, for our next story, you're not retired? I'll be the stay at home housewife/blogger, and you can have any job you want. So long as the hours aren't insanely long and you're home before dinner." He almost kissed her, except it seemed they had figured out where they were hiding.

He pulled away from her to take the cover off their jeep wrangler. "Take Buddy and start the engine." He said, going over to unchain the cellar doors.

With any luck, Malick had only brought twenty men, anymore and this was going to be a pitiful attempt at escape. Daisy revved the engine, leaving the passenger door open for him as she buckled in. He left the doors closed, no use calling attention to that part of the house just yet.

He heard the door break, and grimaced, throwing himself over the hood of his jeep. Grant pulled his gun from his belt, shooting the first three men that came down the stairs. "Daisy, get down!" He shot off a few blind rounds, keeping to Hydra task force at bay before he dove into the car.

He didn't even have to tell her to "step on it" when he slammed the door. Before he'd even gotten fully seated, they were bursting out of the cellar. He shot out his window at the spies waiting for them. He continued to shoot behind them, grunting when Daisy took a sharp turn.

"I don't suppose you have a plan for where we're going?"

He looked over at her, a sigh falling past his lips. "We can't go to the others, we'd lead Hydra right to them." He looked in the rear view mirror, where a black sedan was coming over the hill. Damn.

Grant, squeezed her hand on the wheel. "Try to hold her steady." With that he climbed into the back seat next to their dog, pushing him to lay down on the floor before he rolled the window on the passenger side down.

He let out a breath before leaning out the window.

-0-0-0-

 **That's all for chapter one! I hope you liked it! Please favorite, follow, and/or review!**

 **I said this at the end of book one, and I'm putting it here now.**

 **A warning to all you lovely readers that have come to join us in this second book.**

 **After posting the first chapter of Back Together, I will now be taking a break from this story and quite possibly Fanfiction . net. My fall semester will be starting soon and I've chosen a lot of hard classes this round, so I'm not sure how much time I will have for writing.**

 **I plan to be back October 31, 2016, though this may change depending on how my classes are.**

 **I'm sorry for the wait that is about to start, I can only ask that you remain patient as I promise to return, and hope you will all still be here when I get back.**

 **This doesn't mean I won't be writing at all while I'm gone, I just won't be posting new chapters for this book until Oct 31, 2016.**

 **I hope you understand, and will be here when I get back.**

 **Until then,**

 **Tootles.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, everyone! I'm back! I hope all of you are still with us. I won't hold you here very long, I just wanted to say welcome back!

– Help –

She could hear someone calling her name, begging her to stay awake. To stay with them. But she wanted to go to sleep, her head felt heavy and her body just wanted to shut down. It felt like she'd been awake for a hundred years. Couldn't she sleep for just a few minutes?

When she asked as much, the voice calling to her said no, that she needed to stay awake.

She could feel them carrying her, hear them grind their teeth. Why was it so wrong for her to rest her eyes? She was only asking for a few hours, was that so bad? She didn't think so, but his constant mantra of saying 'don't go to sleep' told her otherwise.

They were worried, she realized, worried about her. That one thought pushed off the darkness threatening to cloud her mind. What was wrong with her? Why did she need to be carried? Was she hurt? Had she done something wrong?

Their response to this was: "You did nothing wrong. None of this is your fault, I swear." They were blaming themselves for whatever was wrong. For whatever had happened to them. She wondered if that were true. He couldn't be to blame for why she couldn't open her eyes, or why she wasn't allowed to sleep. She must have done something.

-0-0-0-

He looked down at her, worry present in his amber gaze, as he brushed her bangs from her brow. Buddy whined next to him, seeking the comfort of his hand on his head, but the man only shook his head at the animal. He only had one good hand, and there was someone more important to worry about at the moment.

He cradled the inhuman in his lap, willing her to wake up for more than just a few seconds, show him she was alright. Even though she wasn't. Her hair was matted with dry blood from where she'd hit the glass, a descent sized bruise forming on her cheek from the second impact. He was sure he had some bruises of his own, including a dislocated shoulder, he'd struggled to pop back into place earlier, though he couldn't be bothered with any of that.

She needed his full attention. With most likely a head concussion, some possible internal bleeding, and a few other injuries her body had sustained in the crash, that he didn't want to think about, she clearly had the more life threatening wounds. He shouldn't have let her drive, when trying to stop another vehicle in a car chase they always aimed for the tires and driver's side if that didn't work. It should have been him in that seat.

"Grant..."

"Stay with me." He whispered, ignoring his own pains to keep her head elevated. He hated these small blips of consciousness in a sea of slumber. It was cruel to have her only wake long enough to mumble his name before passing out again. "We'll be there soon, just hang on a little longer."

He'd been such a fool. Thinking they could ever live the normal life. He had just been lying to himself when he thought there was a chance for them to actually settle down. He should have known Hydra would find them eventually, if S.H.I.E.L.D didn't. It was impossible to stay off the radar forever and to live the life he wanted to give her.

Grant looked around the plane hold, for probably the thousandth time since they had boarded. It was the best he could do under such short notice, especially with Hydra still right on their ass, but he was pleased there was at least some padding on the ground. It was better than some he'd used in the past.

Boy was S.H.I.E.L.D in for the surprise. Their two most wanted runaways showing up at three in the morning local time, after being in hiding for well over a year. Coulson was going to flip, if he didn't have a heart attack first. Grant was expecting either at this point. Even worse with the fact that the girl he had considered his daughter being covered in blood and bruises when they showed up.

The director would surely kill him if her wounds were worse than he imagined. Though he might just kill him anyway because he was the traitor and mole that had lead to the deaths of many people.

He just hoped they hadn't moved to a different base. That would be the second worst thing that could happen at that moment. The worst being that Hydra caught up to them, and he wouldn't have the luxury of Daisy blowing them sky high this time around. They would have to rely on his training and skills to get them there safe and sound. His now very limited skills.

Buddy whined again, licking his master's hand. Grant did his best to finally give the pup some comfort while still keeping Daisy upright. It wasn't the belly rub the lab was looking for, but it was the best he could offer.

They wouldn't have to wait much longer as he felt the plane begin to make its descent, and Grant was able to relax for a few moments. He quickly went through his plan for probably the hundredth time.

First, he'd take them to the car garage, take the vehicle least likely to call attention to them. Get them somewhere they could clean up, then head to the base. She would be back with the team by tomorrow if everything went according to plan.

Of course he didn't expect everything to go well, it was seldom they ever did. That's why there was a gun tucked into the small of his back, an extra magazine in his right boot, and a Swiss army knife in the other. This didn't include the choker in his back pocket.

He passed some cash to the pilot, before he brought Daisy to the garage with Buddy, making sure Hydra wouldn't find them too quickly. He could feel the strain in his muscles as he carried her bridal style, Buddy curled up on her lap like a good dog.

"Hang on Daisy, we're almost there."

-0-0-0-

Grant let out a sigh of relief, as he could finally place Daisy down on a real bed. His right arm was screaming, but he wouldn't let that bother him now. Buddy struggled to pull himself onto the motel bed, before he tried to cuddle next to his inhuman owner. Which he was kept from by the human pushing him away and ordering him to lay on the other side of the bed.

He needed to get all of their wounds tended to, as well as into some fresh clothes before they could think of going any further. He didn't have a total death wish. The ex-specialist placed a gentle kiss to the unbruised side of her forehead, going to start a bath for his wife.

He grimaced at the reflection that he was met with in the mirror. He knew very little of the blood on his once white shirt was his, which only raised his alarm for the condition of the woman laying in the other room. It made him feel sick to his stomach. He was supposed to be protecting her.

He knew the crash had been out of his control, but how could he have allowed her to get so banged up? He looked back into the room, seeing her still body with their Labrador slowly, but steadily, closing the distance between them to cuddle next to her like they used to on the farm. Though one hard stare from his master was enough to make him halt his advances,

Ward almost left her be at the quiet cry that left her, upon him slipping his hands under her back and legs. He was going to have to do a thorough check for any other injuries her clothes may be hiding.

"Come on, Daisy. Time to wake up." He was extremely careful in shaking her shoulder, not wanting to cause any further damage to her injuries, and make them far worse. "Come on, it's bath time."

She let out a low groan, which made him regret shaking her, until she replied. "I took a bath last night." In a whisper, that had him fighting to repress his chuckles.

"Yes, and now you need another one."

She probably would have mumbled something about five more minutes, except the pain her body was under must have knocked her back to reality. "Oh, God, what happened?" She raised her hand to her forehead, only to wince at the movement and contact.

"They rammed the jeep. You've been in and out of consciousness ever since."

She went to nod, but seemed to rethink the movement halfway through. Her gaze then flicked to around the room. "Where are we?"

"A motel roughly six miles from S.H.I.E.L.D. Thought it would be a good idea not to just show up on their doorstep covered in blood."

She grunted her agreement, hissing as he placed her on the cool bathroom counter. Blood was dried into most of her clothes, making it difficult to find an exact point of origin. He knew what was on her shirt was from her head, and the spot on her arm where a bullet must have grazed her after the windows shattered. Though he was more than a little worried about her lower body. Her pants seemed to be caked in it right around the thighs.

She followed his gaze, a new cloud of worry forming in her usually carefree eyes. He took her hand, placing a soft kiss to the palm, before he moved away. "I'll get the first aid kit."

He could feel her fear as she silently waited, her gaze never leaving her legs. Even when he returned and started hacking away at the ruined pants with a pair of scissors, just to get them off.

He wasn't sure whether he should feel relieved, or more worried to find metal poking out of her right thigh. It had been hidden by the blood and fabric, making them assume the worst. He placed another kiss to her hand, undoing his belt with his free hand.

"This is gonna hurt."

She half nodded, leaning her head back on the mirror. It had missed the major artery, for that he was thankful, but she could still bleed out if they weren't careful.

Coulson was definitely going to kill him before all of this was over.

-0-0-0-

He tapped his fingers subconsciously, his focus on the worn picture lying face down on his desk. He should put it away before May catches him looking again, or, worse, Mack. He didn't want to go through that lecture again.

The engineer was still very upset with him for 'giving up' on Daisy, and 'abandoning' her when she supposedly needed them most. The earful he had gotten before he could even explain his reasoning for calling them home.

"She's happier now.." He whispered, turning over the photograph to see the smiling face of the quake inhuman. He didn't know if he said it because part of him still wanted to think she was being brainwashed in some way, or if it was in argument to the thoughts constantly circling his head. "And she's got a new home now."

"She does." He shouldn't have been surprised that May had somehow gotten into his office without him knowing. She always seemed to show up at times like this, like she was an inhuman that could sense whenever he was even thinking toward the direction of Daisy. "So you should take your mind off her and focus more on the bodies we keep finding."

Ouch, he'd been hoping to avoid that report for a few moments longer, or, better yet, she just stay out of it and leave it to him. It didn't seem like she was going to give him either. "I've got Hunter running down some leads."

Her lips formed an even deeper scowl, her arms coming up to cross over her chest. "I want in on this mission."

Her gaze drifted to the case file he still had partially open on his desk, and he hesitated to tell her no. This was personal, he knew how hard it could be if worst came to worst. "You sure you want to do this?"

"He was my responsibility, I should bring him in."

Coulson sighed, leaning back in his chair. In a way that was true, but at the same time he was a little worried, considering the last time she and the agent on the case worked together. That had lead to some painful revelations.

"Okay... Hunter is scheduled to come in tonight. You can pick up what you need and head back out with him."

The specialist nodded her head, turning to leave. "But May, you might not like what you find, he might not be him anymore."

She cast a sad smile over her shoulder, the only thing telling him or her inner turmoil. "You're assuming I'm hoping to find Andrew. Which I'm not, I'm going after Lash, before he kills anymore inhumans."

The director, nodded solemnly, allowing her to completely exit his office. His gaze drifted from the case file and back to the picture of Daisy. He wondered if she had heard anything of what Lash had done in her new life.

-0-0-0-

Finding a car new car had been easy, after ditching the motel, but now they had to walk. S.H.I.E.L.D. Security would initiate with any large moving objects and the spikes would of come up and ruined the tires.

He just needed to get her the ten meters it was to the base entrance, then everything would be fine. It really shouldn't be too hard, he'd carried her far greater distances under far worse conditions.

Buddy whined to be picked up, but Ward just gave him a look. He only had one functioning arm and he was using that to hold his wife on her feet. The dog would just have to walk for himself, there wasn't enough room in the pack on his back to hold him.

Grant was probably a little more than two meters from the entrance, disguised as a brick wall, when a little red light started flashing, signaling the door would soon open. At first he wondered if they had somehow known he was coming, but shook it off as the brick separated.

Daisy smiled a little, while he smirked at the familiar site that greeted them, a man dressed in complete tactical gear stepped out, his semiautomatic pointed right between his eyes. "Grant Ward. You've got a lot of nerve showing up like this."

He would have responded with some snide comment that was bound to anger the agent in some way, but the heavy weight on one side reminded him he didn't have time for games. He needed to get Daisy inside, and properly tended to, before he played any games with this guy.

"As much as I would love to stand here and chat," Grant pauses, leaning his head toward the woman leaning heavily into his side. "She needs some proper medical care and a good night's rest."

The man looked at them for a long moment, before he lowered his gun, and raised his hand to his comm. "Someone get the Director."

The ex-hydra man imagined whoever was on the other end of the radio was telling him it was the middle of the night, and that the man he wanted was probably sleeping.

"I don't care what time it is, he's not going to want to miss this." With that, the agent stepped to the side, for them to pass. Grant didn't say anything, but he was pleased to see the agent wrinkling his nose as the sight of the dog walking at his master's side. "I'm also gonna need medical at the front entrance."

 **-0-0-0-0-0-**

 **Oh my gosh, I can't tell you people how much I missed posting chapters! I almost posted this a month early! Except School is just as time-consuming as I thought it would be. Unfortunately.. Plus, a month ago it was really short... Like only three sentences...**

 **Poll Results: Grant Ward will become an inhuman, when I am not sure, but I will ensure it is before we reach too many chapters. So look forward to that**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please favorite, follow, and/or review!**

 **I'll try to upload again soon!**

 **Until then?**

 **Tootles!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Back again, sooner than I expected.**

 **I just wanted to let everyone know once again that Grant Ward will become an inhuman. The poll results were quite surprising. 85% of you said he should, with only 4% against the idea.**

 **I hope you'll still enjoy this story if he becomes inhuman.**

 **So without further ado, I give you Chapter 3 of Back Together.**

 **Enjoy!**

– The Wards –

"What's so important that it couldn't wait until a more decent time? I only just got back a couple hours ago." Hunter grumbled, still rubbing the sleep from one eye.

Bobbi had to roll her eyes at the Brit, only to notice he was not the only one that looked like they had just rolled out of bed. Fitz-Simmons looked equally tired, still dressed in their jammies, Jemma nursing a cup of something hot, while Leo was rapidly blinking to keep his eyes from slipping shut on their own. Mack wasn't much better, but at least he'd had the decency to get dressed.

May was the only one that looked like she had already been up, which was quite possible since she was usually up early doing her tai chi. Sometimes she would hear the newer recruits claiming the Calvary never slept.

Coulson, though obviously tired, had gotten himself into one of his suits. Before coming to address the team in his office. "I'm sorry, Hunter, you'll find most things do not run on the same schedule as you." He grumbled, turning on the monitor.

The room's occupants immediately tensed as two I. D's popped up on screen with a video footage of what looked like one of the inhuman containment rooms between them. They were all silent for an agonizingly long moment as everyone appeared to be digesting this sudden bout of information.

"Wait a minute. You called off the search. Who brought them in?" Mack nearly growled, though there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He was probably just mad he hadn't been the one to bring them in.

"No one. Agent Jennings found them just outside the entrance about half an hour ago."

"How did Daisy get all those bruises?" Simmons asked, completely ignoring the fact that the man on screen was also injured.

"Don't know. I wanted to get everyone up to date before I went down there."

"Sir, what are you planning to do with them?" Fitz was quiet as he looked between the director and the runaways. An underlying fear present in his gaze.

Coulson forced a smile. "One step at a time. I'm going to find out what they're doing here."

Mack stepped forward before his superior could make a move toward the door, or turn back to the screen. "You're not going to let them leave, are you?"

"No. At least not yet. I wanna find out who did this to them first."

-0-0-0-

To say it was strange being back would have been on of the greatest understatements ever made, and he hadn't even seen anyone he knew yet. Though, really, he was just glad they hadn't put them in Vault D. This inhuman containment was at least a little more user friendly. For example, it was easier for them to treat Daisy in the spacious room.

Not that the medical personal had to do more than check for infection and ensure he hadn't missed anything. Though how could he when he'd been very thorough in hi hunt for more injuries on his wife. Really he had done most of the doctor's work for him.

For her part, Daisy didn't look nearly as nervous as he thought she would be in this situation, but he wouldn't relax just yet. Neither one of them had seen any of the team just yet.

Ward was just waiting to see Coulson, and the look he was sure to have on his face. Though they were probably missing all the drama. He assumed they had been called for an emergency meeting and briefing the moment the Director found out they were there. It was amazing the Director could keep everyone away for so long.

His thoughts went to what the team could be doing to prepare for the emotional roller coaster this was destined to be. He was surprised the Director hadn't come to bash his head in for letting Daisy get hurt. Not that he hadn't tried to protect her, it was just near impossible when he didn't see the car on her side till it hit.

Grant turned when the last of the medical staff had finally left the couple and their dog alone. His gaze went to all the fresh gauze and bandages that now decorated her body, because apparently his one handed first aid skills could use some work. The doctor was lucky that had made his Daisy laugh.

If she hadn't of distracted him with the noise he hadn't heard in two days, S.H.I.E.L.D may have had another reason to condemn him.

He hadn't realized how much he had missed that sound until it was echoing off the walls of their containment. She smiled at him now, with a little bit of exhaustion threatening to tug her lips back down.

He moved to her side, putting his good arm around her shoulders as he pressed his lips softly to her wrapped forehead, taking note of the dip behind them as Buddy climbed on behind them.

"I think you like to make me worry." He said into her hair, silently promising he would never let her be more than a few feet from him ever again.

"You would worry no matter what I did." She whispered, humor lacing her every word. "Even if it had only been a small paper cut." She must have felt the scowl that formed across his lips, as she raised her hand to hold his tightly. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't a paper cut.." He grumbled into her neck, he never wanted to let her go again. Of course she would definitely have something to say about that being the millennial girl that she was. Not that she would be able to argue his reasoning.

He had already nearly lost her too many times for comfort, he wasn't about to let it happen again. She was a magnet for near death situations and he hated it. Why couldn't he protect her? With his training and experience, he should be able to do it without too much trouble.

Yet, there they were, the evidence of his failure screaming at him from all sides as she slowly began to dose off against him. He gently nudged Buddy out of the way as he moved himself and his wife back on the mattress, getting to when he could lean comfortably against the back with her still spread across his chest. The dog was quick to curl up on his master's other side, knowing Grant wouldn't let him lay on Daisy's lap right now.

He would have smiled at the normalcy of it,except it was at that exact moment the door to their prison decided to open. He wanted to go on the defensive. Protect his family from anything Coulson may have planned, but he couldn't, his body pinned by his wife's unconscious body.

Of all the people that he expected to be there on the other side, he was sure it would have been Coulson. But it wasn't Coulson, not even close. No they had to send in someone who could supposedly detach herself from the situation. They had sent in the Cavalry. What the hell was the director thinking?!

Buddy went to growl, but his master quickly shushed him for fear of waking his snoozing wife. Not that he would have minded the look May would have made if the dog did growl at her. It would surely have been one for the scrap book.

She remained silent, Ice-Queen securely in place as she watched them. Grant wanted to demand she at least do what she came to do before she stood their and stared them to death. But part of him wondered if Coulson even knew she was there. The man would have wanted to be the first to see them after all this time, he couldn't imagine he would let someone else go first without a fight.

"What happened?" Her voice was lower than he remembered, and he knew exactly why, she was trying to hide her concern for the daughter she always wanted, yet never had.

At one point he might have sugar coated it for her, but not now, not after everything he'd been through. He didn't care how they felt. He was the one that had been feeling it every moment of everyday before Daisy had freed him from Hive. The feeling of loosing someone so precious.

"Hydra."

She didn't ask for specifics. The medical report had probably already been given to the team. They knew it was a car crash. She had just wanted to confirm the other party involved, though it would be stupid to think anyone else would try to run them off the road. It really shouldn't have been a question. Beside S.H.I.E.L.D, only Hydra had ever been able to catch either one of the duo off guard.

Grant changed his position a little, allowing Daisy to rest more comfortably, as he stroked Buddy's back, watching the dog curl up to his side. He hadn't let anyone try to take the lab, even when he was the one being treated for injuries.

He didn't understand what the specialist was waiting for, just standing there, watching him watching her. But then he remembered, she could very well be here to kill him. Last they'd really met face to face, he'd almost killed her ex. Though that had been a long time ago, and as far as he knew Dr. Garner was now a monster hunting inhumans. May couldn't still be mad about at him for that, could she? It had been almost two years. Wasn't it water under the bridge?

"Why did you come back?"

He should have know she would ask that. If she didn't, Coulson absolutely would have. "We needed help, and we couldn't risk leading them straight to Lincoln and Caleb. Not when we knew so little of what their true objective was.."

May stood silent, absorbing this information, her brow furrowed in consideration. He knew what she was going to ask before she even thought of opening her mouth to voice it. It was the real big question, not why they had returned, but whether or not they were going to stay.

"We just needed a patching up, and a safe place to lay low a couple days. We'll be out of your hair as soon as Daisy is rested and capable of travel."

"And why the hell do you think I would even think of letting you slip away again?" So he'd finally come in, well at least partway, he was still inside the flying containment box that separated them from the door outside.

Grant turned his gaze to the director, who looked like he would incinerate him with his eyes, if he could. Needless to say, Coulson did not look happy, not in the slightest. Though how could he? He'd been woken up at two in the morning, the girl he thought of as family was wearing enough bandages to be a mummy for Halloween, and next to her was a known traitor and killer. His last kill being a woman the man had been seeing.

"Because I know as much as you want to keep us here, you wouldn't do anything that would ever hurt Daisy."

"You came to us for help. You're going to have to do better than that before we let you step out of here." The doors separating them opened, and Coulson stepped out, giving May a sideways glance before returning his gaze to the two rogues. The cavalry nodded, exiting the way he'd come.

The ex-hydra mole rolled his eyes at the seemingly normal exchange. The director hadn't known she'd come in to talk to him, or given her permission. "What do you want from us, Coulson. You let us get away in Kauai, this should be no different."

"Except you and Daisy are now Hydra's most wanted. You really think I'm going to let you take her back out into that danger?"

Grant frowned at that, his gaze shifting to his wife. The older human had a point, it would be suicide to have them leave now. They needed to regain their strength before they could even think of leaving. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

The director smirked a little, counting this as a win. "I need you to tell us everything you can remember about Malick, Hydra, and anything else you can remember. Base locations, dead drops, codes, everything."

He raised a brow at that. "And what are Daisy and I supposed to do while you run down leads?"

"Like you said, rest. Get your strength back. We are going to need you to finally get rid of Hydra once and for all."

"Just so long as you don't expect us to stay after all is said and done."

All eyes turned to the inhuman who had been, until now, sleeping quite contently against his chest. She was still laying completely against him, one hand softly petting Buddy, who had his head rested on his thigh. Her eyes were open with emotions swimming in their depths. She'd gotten really good at masking her emotions, he noted.

"Daisy.." Coulson's voice softened significantly, and he looked at her with the same fondness a father would his daughter. "Please.."

"I won't stay with S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not home anymore, and most of you would happily kill Grant without a thought, if you could."

Her free hand went to hold said man's hand, almost possessively, well not almost, completely. She'd already left S.H.I.E.L.D for him once, it would be foolish to think she wouldn't do it again. Lucky the director gave in, probably worried she'd do something drastic if he didn't

"Okay.. But for now, please just get some rest. Ward, I'll call you for debrief in the morning."

Though he knew she knew the man had been talking to him, Grant saw a smile form on the quake inhuman's lips. He almost felt sorry for Coulson when her lips separated to speak. "Yes sir. What time, may I ask?"

That had the director stopping in his tracks, and it must have been a full minute before he looked over his shoulder at the couple. "Excuse me?"

"You wanted me for debrief, What time?" She questioned, raising her brows in false wonder as to why he needed her to repeat. She already knew why, the little minx.

He stared at her a long time, before his gaze went to the retired specialist. "I wanted Ward to come to debrief."

She waved her hand at him, as though it were obvious, her smile still on her lips. "Hi, Daisy Ward."

Grant barely suppressed his chuckles, he bet Coulson was thinking of a hundred new ways to kill him and make it look like an accident.

The director cleared his throat, looking away for a moment. "Sorry, I meant Grant Ward. I will send someone in to debrief you after you've rested, Daisy."

The two Wards nodded, smiled on their faces as the man finally left the containment room.


	4. Chapter 4

– Hello Again –

He let out a small groan as she combed her fingers through his hair. Gently massaging his scalp. He didn't give a damn that they were in S.H.I.E.L.D custody, or under surveillance. He could stay like this, here, forever if she just kept running her hand over his head.

He'd woken up to her hands on him, and quickly relaxed into the touch. Their room was mostly quiet, save for their dog's snoring. Anyone watching probably would have thought them asleep, if Daisy hadn't resituated them so his head was on her stomach. It was an awkward position for both of them, him avoiding her leg, and her his shoulder, yet neither seemed willing to move.

He kissed the exposed skin of her stomach, rising a small smile from his inhuman. "I can't believe they've left us alone this long." She whispered, one of her hands straying to caress his cheekbone.

"They probably went back to bed." He mumbled, a teasing look in his eyes. "I bet most the team weren't even dressed for the briefing."

That made her laugh, and he couldn't resist rising up to kiss the smile on her lips. Even if they were being monitored in a base full of people that wanted to kill him. He was just moving to hold her closer when he heard the unmistakable sounds of the doors opening.

"Get a room you two!" Buddy immediately barked at the new voice, but didn't move to get off the bed, the dog was meeting a lot of new people today.

Grant frowned, still halfway hovering over his wife. "We have a room, you're in it, so leave and come back in an hour." He hissed, glaring at the man over his shoulder.

"You don't get to give the orders around here. Get up, the director's waiting."

He wanted to tell him the director could stuff it, but the look Daisy gave him made him keep his mouth shut. She sat up as he rolled off her, going to pull on the shirt he's thrown off earlier. The muscles in his shoulder protested, but he ignored it in favor of watching the larger man. He had been Daisy's partner for a while if he wasn't mistaken.

"Hey, Mack." She greeted him quietly, hands going to straighten her shirt.

He gave her a stiff nod, though Grant could see he was suffering inside. He'd missed her, and now most likely wanted to welcome her back with open arms, but being the circumstances and who had come with her, he couldn't. So he had to stand there like a brick wall and pretend he wasn't happy to see that she was back, at least for now.

Grant finished pulling on his shoes, and walked over to the man, his wrists extended. "Alright, take me away."

Mack rolled his eyes at him and turned back to the door. That surprised the ex-Hydra mole. Really? Were they going to just let him walk around the base unhandcuffed? He knew Coulson didn't trust him that much, not even close. Grant looked back at Daisy, to find that she was equally surprised. He smiled a little. Well at least someone knew he was still dangerous.

Then he noticed the slight unease she had hidden in her eyes. He knew that feeling, he was having it right now, too. "Don't worry, I won't let Coulson keep me too long." He assured her, giving her a small smirk to try and relax her nerves.

He saw just the tiniest smile rise on her lips as he stepped out after Mack. Though he knew it was for his benefit, she was still worried.

-0-0-0-

Grant tried to hide his amusement as he walked past the lab with Mack. But it was pretty impossible with the terribly hidden glances he was getting from Fitz-Simmons. They were clearly uncomfortable by his showing up on base, even if Daisy had come with him.

He wanted to ask the man walking a pace ahead of him where the rest of the team was laying low, but decided he didn't want to know. He doubted Hunter or May would think twice about killing him on sight anyway. Best to wait till Coulson calmed them down before he did anything Daisy might hate him for later.

Mack lead him to a room that largely resembled the old interrogation room on the bus. If it wasn't for the fact that they clearly hadn't walked onto the plane, or that he had been there when they blew up S.H.I.E.L.D. 6-1-6, he would have claimed that's where they'd brought him.

The human muscle told him to sit then closed the door behind him. Leaving the retired specialist alone. He thought Coulson had been waiting? Where was he? Of course, just as he was about to get up, the man came in.

"I was about to say, if you were going to be a while, I could go back to Daisy."

The director was not amused. He slammed the door behind him, going to sit across from him. "Let's just make this as painless as possible so I can get back to work and you can go back to your room."

"Yes, sir."

Coulson looked severely perturbed, as though he was reliving an old memory he had never wanted to see again. He almost repeated the words but remembered they were supposed to be covering everything they needed to know about Hydra.

Grant straightened in his seat, forcing himself to be serious, this was about keeping his wife safe, and not having to worry about looking over his shoulder every time he felt eyes on them. He would have to save the awkward conversations and uncomfortable silences for a later time. Preferably when neither he or his wife were in the custody of the shadowed organization.

"What is it you already know?"

The director looked relieved to have the conversation turn to where it needed to be for them to get this over with, pulling out the tablet he'd brought with him and pushing it across the table for Ward to look at. "Not much, I'm afraid. There's a reason we didn't know they existed for over seventy years."

Grant scrolled through the little information they had to offer. Previous bases that had been abandoned and money transfers across the globe under alias's that they couldn't trace past the first off-shore account.

"You should have Daisy take a look at those accounts when she's up to it, she could probably break through a few more firewalls, get you some names and addresses." Coulson just grunted in response, as though he'd already decided to do this. "I can also give you a list of undercover Hydra bases and hidden channels they could still be using."

There was silence longer than he thought necessary, with the other man just staring at him, almost unblinkingly. He couldn't really blame him, though, this was all very weird. It almost felt a little too much like before. Not that it could ever be like that again. He'd killed this man's second chance at love.

Looking back, he realized how stupid he had been. Revenge was only a small burst of pleasure, compared to the sea of suffering it had lead to. Killing Rosalind hadn't really made him feel any better. It had just made the man in front of him suffer, and he'd thought that would make him happy, but instead it had only made him feel empty inside.

When the director made no move to speak, Grant pushed the tablet back toward him and gave him the most sincere look her could muster under these conditions. "I'm so sorry, Coulson."

The man's eyes widened for a brief moment, before returning to normal, not wanting to give the ex-hydra spy anything to work with.

"I'm sorry for killing her. For thinking watching you suffer would make me feel better. I'm sorry I took away your love before it could really begin to grow." A darker part of his mind immediately jumped to a worse time, when it had been him who had lost the love of his life. First with Daisy, when she was Skye, then with Kara.

He quickly shook such thoughts from his head, reminding himself that trying to get revenge for that loss had only lead to a worse pain. "I'm sorry I didn't let you help me when I had the chance. We could have avoided all of this and we wouldn't have to sit here and pretend we were comfortable with the idea of working together. And most of all, I'm sorry for tearing everything you cared about apart."

Coulson was looking at him with a mask of indifference, but Grant knew better. He knew the man before him was calculating everything he said and was formulating a response that wouldn't try to stir up anything. That's why the younger man had purposely avoided saying Rosalind, knowing that could just as easily trigger this man's anger, just like Kara's had him for a time.

He watched as the man seemed to fiddle with some of the false skin of his robotic hand, not even giving the hydra mole a look to convey how he was feeling about this change of subject.

"I'm not asking for forgiveness." He clarified when the other man looked like he might start to speak. "I just wanted to let you know I am sorry."

Coulson let out a sigh, finally looking up to meet his gaze. He'd lost the surprise and traded it for something darker. A pain Grant knew only too well. The pain of being reminded of what he lost. Of losing someone very dear to them. No amount of sorry's, no matter how sincere, could ever make up for what he'd done.

"Can we get back on topic?" The director asked, seeming to brush off his apologies entirely. "Or is there something more you'd like to apologize for?"

"One more thing." Grant said, leaning over in his chair a little. "I may regret a lot of the things I've done, but taking Daisy away from S.H.I.E.L.D is not one of them."

The older man's hands clenched just enough for him to notice. Though he didn't try to tell him that he should regret it. He just sighed again and tapped at his tablet before once again pushing it toward the younger human.

"Put down everything you can remember in any way related to Hydra. Mack will come get you when you're done." With that said, the man left before he could say anything in response.

Not that he had to, he already knew how the director would have responded to his next words. He'd already seen the strangled expression when Daisy told him the same thing.

 **-0-0-0-0-0-**

 **Hey everyone, so sorry for the wait and shortness. I got a little caught up writing Supposed to Stay in Vegas, and actually some future ideas for this one That are a little too far in the future for me to talk about.**

 **But anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please favorite, follow, and/or review!**

 **Hopefully, I'll be back with this one sooner than later.**

 **Till then?**

 **Tootles!**


	5. Chapter 5

– Reconnecting –

She did her best not to giggle as she opened her eyes to find Buddy curled up under her arm, beneath the blankets. Grant would have sent him to lay on the floor, and scold her for not being more strict with the learning pup. She just held him a little more tightly, willing herself to fall back to sleep while petting his soft puppy fur.

This was not to be, though, just as she was thinking she might doze off again, she heard the unmistakable sound of the containment door opening. Who was it now? Grant was gone and she was supposed to be getting some R&R. They were supposed to be leaving her alone.

She knew it couldn't be Grant since he'd only left a small while ago, and if it was him he would have climbed in behind her. Whoever it was, came in and picked up her wrist. Probably assuming she was asleep and was just going to check her pulse.

"I'm pretty sure my heartbeat is normal." She couldn't resist saying as they were placing her hand back down on Buddy's scruff.

The person gasped, and she peeked through her eyelashes to see Simmons' shocked expression. She laughed a little, though regretted trying to change her position when she did. That healing magic goo, they'd given her, not working as fast as she'd like it to.

"You're supposed to be resting," Jemma said, once she'd regained her composure.

Daisy grinned, despite the pain, she was bringing upon herself. "It's good to see you too, Doctor Simmons."

The biochemist failed to hide her smile as she looked the quake inhuman over. "Yes, it's good to see you, though I would have preferred you to be a little less covered in blood and bruises."

"Sorry.. We tried to clean up a little before we came.." She reached up to push her hair back, but the stitches on her upper arm were having none of that. She placed that arm back on her lap, choosing to use her other hand instead. "But I ended up opening some of the wounds when I moved."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." The human mumbled, going to examine the bandaging around her head.

The inhuman played the good patient, not moving from the position she'd stopped in until the other woman took her hands away. "How is.. everyone?"

Her old teammate struggled to keep her face blank, emotions threatening to pour over. "Everyone is well. Happy that you're here. If you could have seen everyone's faces when Coulson told us you were here." A small smile tugged at the biochemist's lips as she looked down at her hands.

Daisy could only imagine, though she was sure the team was equally unhappy to see who had come with her. They hadn't exactly left on good terms, and now here they were once again. Showing up on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s doorstep half dead.

"Oh, are you hungry?" Jemma's voice pulled her out of her head, making her look at the biochemist. "But of course, you must be starving, running from Hydra the last few days, I doubt you've eaten much of anything."

As though to agree with her words, Daisy's stomach chose that exact moment to growl loudly. Instead of pretending she wasn't half-starved, she gave a small nod. "Yeah, Hydra kinda popped in before lunch."

"Then let me go make you a sandwich." Simmons was off the bed before she had fully processed her words.

"Wait!" Daisy regretted moving the moment she yelled. Damn, resting really wasn't her strong suit. "Can you get me my laptop? It should be in the bag we brought with."

Jemma paused at where she was by the door. Hesitation clear in her stance. "You're supposed to be resting, Daisy. Director's orders."

"I know, and I will. Just let me send a quick message." The inhuman made her best puppy eyes, even going as far as to stick out her bottom lip. "Please, Jemma."

The biochemist knew she was gone the moment the woman on the bed hit her with that look. How could she say no to someone she'd been so close to? With a sigh, she went to that bag lying at the foot of the bed. "Fine, but you can only have it until I get back with some food, then you really need to rest."

"Thank you!" Daisy grabbed the device with eager hands, placing it at her side opposite the snoring Labrador.

Somewhere in the background, she heard her old friend laugh, leaving her alone. She typed quickly, pulling up the secure channel she had made for communicating with the guys. She had to let them know what had happened as soon as possible. If Hydra had found Ward and Daisy, it wouldn't be too far to guess that they could also know the location of the static inhuman and telepathic teen.

The next message she sent was to Joey, making sure he was equally safe. In the back of her head she was already forming new aliases for them, and the files she would have to draw up to set them up somewhere else. Even if Hydra hadn't discovered their location yet, she didn't want to risk them getting a visit, like she and Ward had gotten. They were trained for this kind of thing, had planned for it. The male inhumans had only gotten their toes wet and it was her that was in charge of keeping them off any and all radars.

She must have been halfway through setting up new records and housing for her friends when she heard the unmistakable opening of the containment room doors. Couldn't she give her a few more minutes? She could've finished and sent them off to the boys if Jemma had just left her another five minutes or so.

"Alright, times up." Dr. Simmons was back, and it didn't look like she would be budging this time around. Damn, the quake inhuman was hoping she might be able to weasel a few more minutes out of her. "Eat your sandwiches, then try to get some more sleep."

Daisy grumbled as her laptop was taken away and placed back in her bag, where she couldn't hope to reach it with her body bound up how it was. But, she accepted the tray, her stomach crying at the first scent of food. She hadn't realized she was full on starving until the smell of Jemma's special dressing met her nose.

She moaned around the first bite, ripping off a chunk for Buddy, poor baby was probably just as hungry as her. Grant would scold her for that later too, though she sometimes caught him doing the same under the kitchen table. For a man that had come up with so many rules, he wasn't very good at enforcing them when there was such a cute face involved.

When she'd had a few more bites(and given a few more to her pet), she paused in her eating, looking up at the biochemist who appeared highly amused by her behavior. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, so many things she'd missed. She didn't regret leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., but she did wish she'd been able to stay in contact with her friends.

"Things going well with Fitz?" She asked because she noticed the necklace the blonde was wearing. It was really nice, possibly Jared's, something Daisy knew Jemma wouldn't get for herself. Though the pendant, a black stone, if she wasn't mistaken. A piece of the Monolith.

Proof of Fitz's unwavering Love? That he was willing to jump through a portal across the universe to get to her, not knowing what was on the other side, he really could be quite the romantic, couldn't he? She smiled as the human blushed, her hand going to hold the accessory.

"Yes, yes, quite well." Her blush darkened a little as she looked toward the security camera's, before looking back at the brunette on the bed. She leaned in a little, a giddy smile lighting up her face. "We're even looking for an apartment together."

Jemma's excitement was contagious, and Daisy couldn't resist smiling along with her. "Congratulations! If you need any help, I'm pretty great at house hunting." Just ask Lincoln and Caleb, she wanted to add but thought better of it. Her gaze slipped to her laptop once more. She wanted to see if they had responded. Caleb was usually quick to answer, being on the computer anyway, either doing school or leading his army of zombies in Minecraft.

"Well if the showing we're going to this next week doesn't work out, I'll know who to turn to." The agent continued, not even noticing that Daisy's attention had drifted. "But Leo has a really good feeling about this one. I mean the pictures were just marvelous, and the view is absolutely stunning."

Sounds almost too good to be true, but she didn't say that she just grinned at her friend's enthusiasm, and continued to finish the sandwiches Jemma had made as she went on to talk about the square footage and bay window. Daisy's thoughts more focused on her inhuman friends and the need to see that they were alright and hadn't been attacked like she and Grant had been.

It wasn't until Jemma started going on about the different drapes in the living room and how they would match the throw pillows she already owned perfectly that Daisy could take no more of it. She'd also finished her meal and though hearing all the details could have lulled her off to sleep, the suspense or waiting was becoming too much.

"Jemma, can I please have my computer back for just a moment? I swear I just need to look at it a second!" She would've been pulling on the biochemist's arms, but the woman was out of her reach, and all she could do was grip the sheets around her tightly.

Jemma surprised at the sudden outburst, froze in her gushing. Though it only took her a moment to recover and realize what the inhuman was asking. "Absolutely not! You're supposed to be resting, and I've kept you up long enough! You sent your message, now it's time to sleep."

"But I can't sleep! I have to know they're safe first!" Daisy pleaded, wishing she could move and snatch up the piece of technology herself. "Hydra knew where Grant and I were, that means they might be able to find Lincoln and Caleb too. Please, Jemma."

To her great distaste, the biochemist made no sign of giving in this round. Her orders from the Director stronger than the inhuman's puppy eyes. She even shook her head, taking the empty tray and moved toward the door.

"No. No no no. If you want to do anything except rest, you'll have to ask Coulson."

"Jemma, please. For all, I know they could be dead..." Her voice had gone quiet, she didn't want to think about it, but it was hard not to when she thought of both her and Grant's own injuries. And Hydra had wanted to take them alive, she wasn't sure if the same could be said for her friends. "Just let me leave my laptop open, so I'll be able to see when they respond. I swear I'll lay down if you let me have it."

The human lingered at the exit, her back still tensed, but slowly her resolve broke and she let out a long sigh. "If I get in trouble for this..." She began, going back to pull the computer out again.

"I know, I know. Just tell Coulson I was unbearable, he can understand that." Daisy responded, shifting a little so she would be able to see the screen and the open messenger from where she was laying. Jemma helped her move so she was all the way down, no longer propped by pillows. Buddy immediately moved to snuggle into the crook of her neck, pressing his wet nose against her ear and forcing her to smile at least a little.

"Thanks, Jemma."

The biochemist gave her a small nod. "Now get some sleep. I'll bring you something for lunch later." She pulled the sheets and blanket up to Daisy's shoulders, tucking her in while being careful of where her arm had been grazed by a bullet.

The inhuman waited till her friend had turned to leave once again, her voice quieter as her eyelids started to grow heavy. "I really missed you. Doctor Simmons, not so much, but Jemma. I missed her a lot."

Said scientist smiled over her shoulder. "Though patient Daisy is as stubborn as ever, we missed her too." Her voice was teasing, but there was a note of serious to it. With that, she finally left the containment room.

Daisy smirked, tilting her head just enough so she could see her laptop screen, without irritating the bandages around her forehead. No one had responded yet, maybe Lincoln had dragged Caleb to the store? He usually tried to get the teen out of the house once or twice a month. And it was possible Joey was still at work, she couldn't remember his exact schedule at the moment, but she was pretty sure it was the morning shift.

 **-0-0-0-0-0-**

 **My Gosh! I can't even begin to express how sorry I am. Making you wait this long, I wouldn't blame anyone if you showed up at my house with torches and pitchforks.**

 **I literally just sat down and wrote all of this, and I'm hoping I can do the same for Supposed to Stay in Vegas. Wish me luck and hopefully, I'll be back in a day or two with that.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please favorite, follow, and/or review!**

 **Until then?**

 **Tootles!**


	6. Chapter 6

– Separated –

Grant sighed, scribbling down yet another name of an old Hydra contact. How many was that now? He'd lost count after the first twenty. Luckily he was getting close to being finished. After this guy he only had one or two more that he could think of, then he could go back to check on Daisy.

He glanced towards the door, didn't sound like anyone was outside, but he was sure someone was waiting for him to finish. It was only a matter of him getting up. They probably had a direct feed from the tablet they'd left him with, allowing them to check everything he wrote down at that moment. He hoped the hidden frequencies would help, though he had his doubts.

He had been deep in Hydra, Malick wasn't an idiot, he probably changed a lot of things after he and Daisy escaped. Wouldn't want to clue the ex-spy into their next attack. The most Grant could hope for was that they hadn't moved around too much over the last year. If his intel helped even a little he would be glad, and maybe it could help smooth things between him and the old team.

That would make it a lot easier for him and Daisy. She hadn't said anything, and he knew she wouldn't even if he asked, but she'd missed them and wanted to see them again. If he was able to find a way to make this turn out alright, then maybe she didn't have to say goodbye again. Maybe he could find a way that Daisy could still visit and see her friends and the people she'd considered family, without having to worry about them trying to kill her husband.

Grant finished putting down the last name, leaving the tablet at the table. He went to the door and knocked. Mack was there on the other side, scowl still set firmly in place. Damn, he really got under his skin, didn't he? Aside from stealing Daisy from S.H.I.E.L.D. Had he done anything personally to get on this guy's bad side? He couldn't recall.

"Finished?"

He gave the agent a nod, looking back at where the surveillance camera was. "Does Coulson need to talk to me again, or can I head back to my room?" He asked, his thoughts once again going to his wife. Maybe he'd get back in time to climb back in with her to take another nap before it was her turn for debriefing.

Mack rolled his eyes, "Hands." It was then Grant noticed the cuffs glinting in the man's grasp. So they wouldn't restrain him in from of Daisy, but they would after he'd given them what they wanted.

He extended his hands, allowing them to do so without a fight, understanding dawning on him. When Daisy found out what they were doing she was going to have a fit. He sure hoped this structure had been reinforced since the last time the couple had been there together.

Two guards joined them in the hall and the engineer led them in a different direction than his and Daisy's room. Not that this surprised the ex-hydra mole. "Sure hope Coulson knows what he's doing." He commented as they walked by what could be the control room.

He saw quite a few faces he knew, all of them looking his direction with various degrees of hate and murder in their expressions. He gave them as much of a salute as he could with his hands bound before he caught sight of the video feed they were all hovering around. Daisy was still curled up with Buddy, though she now had her computer open at her side. He smiled a little, knowing she'd wanted to check on her inhuman friends as soon as possible.

Mack and his two new friends didn't allow him to stop very long, soon enough they were walking again and it looked like they were putting him in another inhuman containment pod on the opposite side of the base from where his wife was.

"Did he forget what happened the last time he tried to separate us?" Grant asked, looking around the hall, taking in the many paths that lead off of it and the placement of the security cameras.

Honestly, he was a little offended, Coulson knew better than to leave him with so many opening and so few guards. Surely this was a joke, an assault team must be hiding here somewhere. Then he realized, the man in charge didn't need any of those things. He already had the only bargaining chip he would ever need.

"Son of a bitch." The men around him ignored him, electing to escort him without actually paying attention to him. Oh, there were so many ways he could escape, even being banged up as he was. His shoulder would barely slow him down. But not with Daisy under their control, Like this he was powerless. "I thought we were past this, Coulson."

The two guards stopped outside the room he was probably going to be in a while, Mack only came in to remove his restraints. "You know it wasn't Daisy that chose to come back, it was me. I made the choice to come to S.H.I.E.L.D." He sighed when he got no response and was left alone in the too white room.

"Not even going to give me the feed for her room, Coulson?!"

He punched where the door had been with his good arm, nearly growling with frustration. After they got out of this one, he was so done. There was no way Daisy would let them get away with this and he would have to be ready to help her the rest of the way. Coulson was a fool if he thought her injuries would stop her from bringing this place down on top of them.

"You're making a huge mistake." She was never going to trust them again if they kept doing this. How many earthquakes did they think this base could stand before they had to relocate? Daisy wouldn't hold back, not if she thought for even a moment that they might be planning to kill him.

-0-0-0-

She understood she was supposed to be resting, but really there was such a thing as too much rest. Not that Simmons would listen to her. And playing on her computer should not be considered too stressful! If anything it relaxed her. She sighed, glancing at the screen beside her once again, still nothing from her inhuman friends, they hadn't even opened her message yet.

Without moving she cast a look around the room through half-lidded eyes. No doubt someone would be informed the moment she moved, especially if it was toward her computer. Damn, she hated being under a microscope. She definitely hadn't missed that.

Then again, Jemma seemed to have a superpower for showing up whenever she moved to sit up or change position. Daisy turned her head toward the door. It wasn't quite lunchtime, which is when the Biochemist said she would be back, but she had no doubt if she tried to sit up right now, the girl would appear.

The inhuman looked back at her computer, why hadn't they responded yet? What day was it? She reached over with her good arm to check the calendar on her computer. Saturday. She'd been gathering eggs and cuddling ducks four days ago. Now she was on bed rest inside a secret S.H.I.E.L.D facility. Damn, she hoped the guys were okay.

She looked towards the cameras in the room again. Someone would probably come down sooner or later. Why prevent the inevitable. With that in mind she pulled her laptop closet, opening the private feed to Joey, he usually liked to stay in on Saturdays. He probably just hadn't heard her message because he'd been sleeping when she sent it. She sent another message, asking if he was home. If he was he should be able to hear the notification sound it made.

She switched screens to the feed she'd left up connected to Lincoln and Caleb. She sent the same message to them, worry growing in the pit of her stomach. Caleb was a very light sleeper, not to mention quite the night owl, there was no way he would have missed her first message.

"Come on guys, put my racing mind at ease..."

"You know, if you took down the encryption you got on their feeds, we could send a team to check on them."

Buddy snuffled, and she couldn't fight the frown, not turning around to see the man that had just entered the containment room. "Yeah, because they totally want to have a bunch of S.H.I.E.L.D agents show up on their doorsteps. That would just help Hydra find them faster."

She was sure he shrugged, probably leaning against the wall in a relaxed manner. "Least you would know they were safe." Funny how he was okay holding a conversation with her now that Grant was out of the room.

She looked over her shoulder at him, eyebrow raised. "Safe?"

"Well if we brought them in Hydra wouldn't be able to get at them. Same as you."

She wanted to tell him he assumed too much, Hydra most definitely knew she and Grant had returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. She could only imagine what they were planning and if they intended to take the both of them right out from under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose. She wouldn't put it past Malick.

Instead of voicing her thoughts, she sighed looking back at the screen. "I'll give them a couple more hours before I'll even consider giving you their locations." And only after she'd discussed it with Grant.

Mack accepted that for now, coming closer to the bed. Reaching out a hand to pet Buddy, should the lab allow him to. The pup glanced at her before moving within reach of the friendly hand. "So how've you been? Besides running from Hydra?"

She was relieved at the change in conversation, and happy that he seemed to genuinely care, not just because he wanted information on What she'd been up to the last year. "Good, really good. You probably won't believe this but I was totally on my way to being a farm girl. I had ducks, eight of them, and chickens. Grant was even thinking of getting us a horse or a cow! I went out and collect eggs every morning, sat and talked with Jemima and Beatrix, till Grant would come to get me."

Mack had been smiling along with her for the first part, but the moment she mentioned her husband's name it was gone without a trace or thought of returning. She hoped by the time she and Grant left they would be over what he'd done in the past, then maybe they wouldn't have to spend every date night looking over their shoulders, or with her wiping their faces off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar. It would be nice if she could invite them over for the holidays, or maybe just send a card every now and then, without a S.H.I.E.L.D. Task Force showing up on their doorstep. If only.

"Speaking of which. Shouldn't Grant be done by now?" She asked, looking back at the clock on her computer. "I know there's a lot of information to go through, but still. Couldn't you give him a break for lunch or something? He went through the same thing I did, and has probably gotten less sleep over the last few days than I have in the last twenty-four hours."

Mack rubbed Buddy's head a little longer before he straightened up and met her gaze. "He's already had a meal delivered to him, and I'm sure Simmons will be in any minute with yours."

Her brow furrowed as she stared up at her old partner, that didn't tell her when Grant would be done. She felt a stir in her stomach and wished she could shake the nagging thought that the team was keeping something from her. Of course, they were, honestly that was pretty much what S.H.I.E.L.D did for a living. She should relax and listen to what they were telling her. Grant would be back in no time, and then she could ask him what to do about the boys.

 **-0-0-0-0-0-**

 **So sorry for the wait. Though it looks like it could be a longer wait for the next one. I've decided to put this story on Hold until I finish Supposed to Stay in Vegas, which isn't really that far off, but with how slow I've been it could be a while. Again I apologize for that.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please favorite, follow, and/or review!**

 **Until the next post?**

 **Tootles!**


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